Monday, June 4, 2012

From a temporary designator to a recognized chemical element name: ununhexium becomes livermorium

The chemical element with atomic number 116 was until now addressed as ununhexium (Uuh) using the temporary designator and three-letter atomic symbol system recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).  A few days ago, IUPAC approved the name livermorium to replace the temporary designator ununhexium. The element symbol is Lv.

The name of this synthetic element honors the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, which, along with the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Russia, has been involved in the discovery and production of various superheavy elements, including flerovium and livermorium [1].

The most stable isotope known today is livermorium-293, 293Lv, with has a half-life of about 60 ms. Less stable isotopes include 292Lv, 291Lv and 290Lv [2].

Livermorium's “left neighbor” —the element with atomic number 115, ununpentium, with the temporary symbol Uup—is provisionally named eka-bismuth, since it finds its place below the group 15 (Va) element bismuth in the periodic table. Following this Mendeleev-type notation, livermorium can be considered as eka-polonium (its historical name). Livermorium's “next-to-left neighbor ” with atomic number 114 (formerly ununquadium) is flerovium (Fl). The name flerovium also has just been approved officially by IUPAC [see ununquadium becomes flerovium].

Reference
[1] Adam Mann: 2 New Elements Named on Periodic Table. May 31, 2012 [www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/05/flerovium-livermorium].
[2] Scribd: Livermorium [www.scribd.com/doc/95712552/Livermorium].

No comments:

Post a Comment